There is disclosed in published international patent application WO 03/060333A2, titled Sign and Awning Attachment System and Method of Use, an attachment and tensioning system for a planar structure, such as a vinyl sign or other flexible sheet, such as canvas. The edges of the sheet, which is generally rectangular, are provided with a sewn-in bead which cooperates with other members of an attachment and tensioning system that includes a fixed frame comprised of horizontal and vertical rails. The top horizontal bead and one vertical bead are inserted into fixed rails. The bottom horizontal bead and the remaining vertical bead are inserted into translatable or “floating” rails that in turn connect to adjacent fixed rails by levering means. All rails can be aluminum extrusions. The fixed rails can be attached to a vertical side or door of a truck intended to carry a sign. The system permits signs to be installed and removed without damage, so that a sign can be reused at a future date.
Large signs suitable for truck advertising may typically be in the order of eight feet (2.7 m) high and anywhere from 10 feet to 50 feet (3 to 18 m) wide, printed on vinyl sheets using large, one-pass or multiple-pass ink-jet printers such as the Ultra View 3360 printer (VUTek, Inc., Merideth, N.H., U.S.A.) Beading or “Keeder” is sewn into the edges to prepare the sign for mounting. This is a labor-intensive operation requiring care. The spacing of the opposing beading or “keeder” needs to be set for each signage sheet to within about one-half inch (1.2 cm) tolerance. Because large flexible sheets have a tendency to stretch by a variable amount during printing, sheets are individually beaded to stay within tolerance, which adds considerable cost. Also, beading mistakes are difficult, or in some cases not possible, to rectify.
An aspect of this invention is a beadless attachment and tensioning system employing the type of tensioning means disclosed in published patent application WO 03/06033A2.
Another aspect of this invention is a sign mounting and tensioning apparatus that includes for at least the top sign edge and one vertical sign edge, and preferably also for the bottom edge and remaining vertical edge, elongated flexible but cross sectionally shape-retaining inserts and cooperating elongated locks, whereby sign edges can be wrapped around the inserts, and the wrapped inserts can be removably inserted into the locks such that the inserts do not rotate and the sign edges are secured from slipping out of the locks when the sign is tensioned; fixed frame rails securable to a mounting surface into which the locks containing wrapped top sign edge and one vertical sign edge can be inserted such that the locks do not rotate; and tensioning means for connecting the bottom sign edge and remaining vertical sign edge to fixed mounting means, securable to the mounting surface, such that the sign can be tensioned and secured over the mounting surface, such as a side of a truck or trailer.
Another aspect of this invention is the inclusion in the foregoing apparatus of floating rails for the bottom and remaining vertical side of the sign into which locks containing wrapped sign edges, as described above, can be inserted such that the locks do not rotate, and a plurality of mounting-tensioning units each comprising a mounting portion securable to the mounting surface and a levering tensioning mechanism connectable thereto and to a floating rail.
Yet another aspect of this invention is a method for removably mounting a flexible signage sheet utilizing the above-described apparatus comprising the steps of wrapping the sign edges around inserts, reversibly locking the wrapped inserts into the elongated locks, removably inserting locks containing the wrapped sign edges into the top and vertical rails affixed to a surface and into the bottom and vertical floating rails, removably connecting the floating rails to mounting means affixed to the surface by tensioning means, preferably levering tensioning units, and reversibly tensioning the sign by means of the tensioning means.
Yet another aspect of this invention is a system comprising a flexible sheet sign mounted and tensioned in the apparatus described above.